Gloria Estefan is bringing a new restaurant to Central Florida — and closing another that’s been a mainstay of the area for more than two decades.
In promoting her new restaurant coming to Margaritaville Resort Orlando in Kissimmee, Estefan Kitchen, the singer revealed her Bongos Cuban Cafe at Disney Springs will close when its current lease runs out.
“With the lease coming to full term this summer, rather than renovating the current location, we’re transitioning our brand into Estefan Kitchen at Margaritaville Resort Orlando,” Estefan’s team said in a statement.
Bongos is one of the longest-running dining locations still standing at Disney Springs. It opened in 1997, when the area was still known as Downtown Disney.
The Bongos brand was declined in recent years. Locations in Miami and Hollywood, Florida have been shuttered. The Disney Springs restaurant is among the lowest-rated at the dining and shopping complex, being given just two stars out of five in the 2019 edition of “The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World.”
The new Estefan Kitchen, based off its existing Miami location, will open later this year in the Margaritaville Resort’s new Sunset Walk district.
“Estefan Kitchen at Sunset Walk will be our fifth full service restaurant that will reflect the casual elegance of our Miami Design District location but with a style and soul of its own,” Estefan said. “Our menu, cocktails, music and vibe will offer a re-imagined taste of our culture to Central Florida and all of its national and international visitors.”
It’ll join a rapidly expanding list of dining options at Sunset Walk. Restaurants already open include the tropical-themed Bahama Buck’s, Burger Fi, and Bento Asian Kitchen & Sushi.
Margaritaville Resort features 184 hotel rooms and timeshare properties. Later this spring, it will add the Island H20 Live, the first water park in Kissimmee since the closure of Water Mania in 2005.
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